Tracey Lister

Chef Tracey Lister knows how to shop, cook and eat in Vietnam. She has been living in Hanoi or visiting regularly for the last 16 years.

Tracey and her family returned to Hanoi in April 2008 and she opened Hanoi Cooking Centre.

The Hanoi Cooking Centre is a purpose built cooking school and café nestled on the edge of the Old Quarter.

In October 2008, Tracey and her husband released KOTO, a culinary journey through Vietnam. It has since sold over 9000 copies in Australia, Japan, U.S.A. and Vietnam. Their second book Vietnamese Street Food was released in 2011 and has sold over 20,000 copies. Their third book Real Vietnamese Cooking was released early 2014 and Made in Vietnam in May 2017.

Tracey first came to live in Hanoi in 2000 after 15 years in the Melbourne restaurant scene, and was determined to put her extensive hospitality experience to good use.

 Her opportunity came in the form of KOTO, a grass-roots charity that helps street kids to free themselves from the poverty cycle through vocational training. As the project’s first chef/trainer, Tracey’s contribution to the KOTO training project was to transform disadvantaged young people into sought after hospitality professionals.

Tracey’s time at KOTO allowed her to develop a deep appreciation of Vietnamese cuisine. Through research and professional relationships, Tracey has continued to explore the place of food in Vietnamese history and culture, from street stalls and market shopping to age-old family recipes and fine restaurants.

In Vietnam she is acknowledged as an expert on Vietnamese food, as evident by her appointment as Executive Chef of the 1,000 years of Hanoi state banquet for 900 dignitaries.